Gillette Stadium in Foxboro has not been kind to the Galaxy over the years. Last night's visit couldn't have come at a worse time given the slump in which the team has found itself for the last couple of months. However, last night's performance against New England Revolution seemed to be lacking many of the problems from past visits.

After missing the Galaxy's last game due to national team duty, midfielder David Beckham and forward Landon Donovan rejoined the starting lineup. In addition, recently acquired midfielder Eddie Lewis made his debut with the blue-and-gold. The remainder of the line up looked very familiar, with the exception of the curious positioning of defender Greg Vanney as a midfielder.

The Galaxy nearly opened the scoring at the 8th minute when Beckham sent an excellent 50 yard pass to a streaking Donovan. The pace of the play made it a difficult finish for Donovan, but he managed to get a good shot on goal. However, Revolution 'keeper Matt Reis was equal to the task, making a great save on the attempt.

As the first half progressed, both teams fought to assert their dominance on the field. On various occasions, the Galaxy demonstrated passing abilities, possession and organization not seen for quite some time. Their improved play allowed them to control the midfield for a good portion of the first 20 minutes and latter periods throughout the game. Most importantly, defensive efforts appeared more cohesive. It could be argued that the improvements were merely a coincidence and that the team was due for a good performance after a string of disappointing outings. Certainly a possibility, but the more likely explanation includes a discussion pertaining to the recent change in leadership and approach to training sessions.

Regardless, the Revolution's always dangerous forward, Taylor Twellman, took advantage of a miscue on the part of Galaxy 'keeper Steve Cronin to open the scoring at the 22nd minute. As a side note, Cronin would later be replaced by the debuting Josh Wicks due to injury.

Although the Revolution took the lead, the Galaxy fought back to tie the score on a Donovan goal at the 33rd minute, and closed out the first half as the better of the two teams. Donovan would then add a second goal at the 55th minute, bringing his season total to a league leading 16 and giving the Galaxy the lead with the score at 2 - 1.

Sensing the potential of losing at home to the Galaxy, the Revolution began to push hard shortly thereafter. While increasingly pressuring the Galaxy defense, a curious event unfolded -- the Revolution was regularly encountering barriers. For the first time in a long time, the Galaxy were playing well on the defensive side of the ball.

Eventually, a piece of brilliant work between Taylor Twellman and New England midfielder Sharlie Joseph led to the tieing goal by the latter at the 71st minute. Both teams had a few more chances as the remainder of the game ticked by, but neither was able to capitalize, leaving the final score at 2 - 2.

For a team trying regain their form, leaving Gillette Stadium with a tie against one of the league's top teams is nothing to be ashamed of. Not only did the Galaxy walk away with a point, but they also showed that things can be corrected. The playoffs are still within reach and if the team can continue to improve over the coming weeks, we should be in for a pretty exciting playoff run.

Go Galaxy!!

Photo by craighwk via Flickr